The present invention relates to an automotive pedal support structure equipped with an operating pedal disposed behind an automotive dash panel and a steering shaft comprising a universal joint disposed in the proximity of the operating pedal.
A pedal support structure where a bracket to which the operating pedal is pivoted is attached to a dash panel through a bucklingly transformable collar is known, for example from Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-175492. This tries to prevent the operating pedal from being thrown rearwardly by bucklingly transforming the collar during an automotive frontal collision.
Since a steering shaft is disposed so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of vehicular body in the proximity of the operating pedal, a universal joint of the steering shaft may be positioned in the proximity of the operating pedal.
In this case, during a frontal collision a rearward movement of the operating pedal might cause the operating pedal to contact the universal joint and push it which may cause the steering shaft to incline and change its orientation. In the case that an air bag is arranged at the steering wheel, such an orientational change in the steering shaft may offset the deployment direction of the air bag.
Also in a steering shaft support structure with a so called tilt mechanism which allows for adjustment of the steering shaft position in the vertical direction, when the operating pedal pushes the universal joint, the steering shaft may change its orientation in the vertical direction. Particularly, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-165088 when a pivot portion which pivots the steering shaft against the vehicular body member is provided in the front position of the steering shaft, the steering shaft may greatly change its orientation upon experiencing a frontal collision.
The present invention is directed to an automotive pedal support structure for avoiding a steering shaft from changing its orientation during a frontal collision. The automotive pedal support structure is equipped with an operating pedal disposed behind a dash panel of an automotive vehicle and a steering shaft comprising a universal joint disposed in the proximity of the operating pedal.
To achieve the above object, the present invention avoids the interference between the operating pedal and the steering shaft.
The automotive pedal support structure is equipped with a first bracket including a side wall portion attached to the dash panel so as to extend rearwardly. The operating pedal is placed in front of the universal joint and pivots to the first bracket oppositely to the universal joint with respect to the first bracket.
Further, the automotive pedal support structure is arranged so that during an automotive frontal collision the universal joint moves relative to the first bracket in the longitudinal direction while contacting with a side surface of the side wall portion of first bracket accompanied with the rearward movement of the dash panel.
According to the first aspect of the invention, when the first bracket and the operating pedal pivotably connected to the first bracket move rearwardly during a frontal collision, the universal joint moves relative to the first bracket along the side surface of the side wall portion in the longitudinal direction while contacting the side wall portion of the first bracket. At this time, since the operating pedal is disposed oppositely to the universal joint with respect to the side wall portion, the interference between the operating pedal and the universal joint is prevented by the side wall portion. Further, since the universal joint slides on the side surface of the side wall portion, the universal joint will not be pushed in the longitudinal or the vehicular width directions. Accordingly, changing of the orientation of the steering shaft is certainly avoided.
According to the first aspect of the invention, since the interference between the operating pedal and the universal joint is avoided as well as the universal joint being pushed, the change of the steering shaft orientation during the frontal collision is certainly avoided, even in the case of a steering shaft support structure with a tilt mechanism or even if a pivot portion is provided in the front position of the steering shaft.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, the first bracket is equipped with a pair of side wall portions which are spaced apart from each other in the vehicular width direction and a connecting portion which connects the pair of side walls with each other in the vehicular width direction.
Further, the operating pedal is pivotably connected to the first bracket between the pair of side walls and the universal joint is positioned oppositely to the operating pedal with respect to either one of the side wall portions of first bracket. This relates to the fact that when the side wall portion is deformed due to the contact of the universal joint with the side wall portion of first bracket, the operating pedal might interfere with the universal joint.
Then, with respect to the second aspect of the invention, by connecting the pair of side wall portions with each other using the connecting portion, rigidity of the side wall portions in the vehicular width direction is increased. Consequently, the deformation of the side wall portions is prevented when the universal joint contacts the first bracket, and the universal joint will move relatively more certainly along the side surface of the side wall portions, such that the interference between the operating pedal and the universal joint is more reliably prevented and that the changing of the steering shaft orientation is more reliably prevented.
In the third aspect of the invention, a second bracket is provided, a front end lower portion of which is pivoted to the first bracket and an upper portion of which is detachably attached to the vehicle body member so as to detach from the vehicle body by rearward movement during the automotive frontal collision. Further the operating pedal is pivotably connected to the second bracket.
According to the third aspect of the invention, since normally the front end lower portion of second bracket is pivoted to the first bracket while the upper portion is attached to the vehicular body side member, the second bracket will be integrated with the first bracket and the stepping operation of the operating pedal rotatably pivoted to the second bracket will be enabled.
In contrast with this, when the dash panel moves rearwardly during the frontal collision, the first bracket attached to the dash panel, the operating pedal and the second bracket which supports the operating pedal will move together rearwardly, the upper portion of this second bracket will be released from the body side member due to the rearward movement of the second bracket and the second bracket will be in a cantilever condition where it is supported at its front end lower portion by the first bracket. At this time the second bracket in the cantilever condition will be released from the vehicular body member while rotating rearwardly around a pivoting point of the front end lower portion as a rotation center along with the operating pedal, whereby the operating pedal rotates to move a lower pedal portion forwardly. Since in this manner the rearward movement of the operating pedal is avoided, the interference between the operating pedal and the universal joint is more reliably avoided.
In the forth aspect of the invention, an automotive pedal support structure is provided which is equipped with an operating pedal arranged behind a dash panel of an automotive vehicle and a steering shaft comprising a universal joint arranged in the proximity of the operating pedal. The support structure also comprises a pivot portion which pivots the steering shaft with respect to the vehicular body member at a front position of the steering shaft and a variable support portion which supports the steering shaft variably in its position in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the vehicular body member at its rear position. The support structure further comprises a first bracket having a side wall portion attached to the dash panel so as to extend rearwardly, and a second bracket with its front end lower portion being pivotally connected to the first bracket and its upper portion being attached to the vehicular body member so that it moves rearwardly to be released from the vehicle body side member during an automotive frontal collision.
The operating pedal is rotatably pivoted to the second bracket so as to be positioned between the pair of side wall portions of first bracket and the universal joint is positioned oppositely to the operating pedal with respect to either one of the side wall portions of first bracket.
The universal joint is constructed so that during an automotive frontal collision, the universal joint can move in the longitudinal direction relative to the first bracket while contacting with the side wall portion of first bracket due to a rearward movement of the dash panel.
According to the forth aspect of the invention, the similar function and effect to those of the first through third aspects can be obtained. Accordingly, since the interference itself between the operating pedal and the universal joint is avoided as well as the universal joint being pushed, a change in steering shaft orientation is certainly avoided during the frontal collision even if the pivot portion is provided in the front position of steering shaft.
As explained above, according to the automotive pedal support structure of this invention, the interference between the operating pedal and the steering shaft during the frontal collision can be avoided since the universal joint moves relative to the first bracket in the longitudinal direction while contacting with the side surface of side wall portions of the first bracket.
Also the present invention more certainly avoids the interference between the operating pedal and the universal joint, since the operating pedal is rotated so that the lower pedal portion moves forwardly during the frontal collision by pivoting the operating pedal to the second bracket.
Accordingly, the universal joint of the steering shaft is prevented from being pushed into the steering shaft which would otherwise change the steering shaft orientation during the frontal collision.